Tarifa outsteps Gun Song for narrow victory in Mother Goose
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Aggressive tactics employed by Flavien Prat paid off for Tarifa, who found her way back to the winner’s circle for the first time since March as she outfinished favored Gun Song by a head to win Saturday’s Grade 2, $242,500 Mother Goose Stakes at Aqueduct.
It was another head back to Pretty Ana, who rallied from last to be third, a half-length better than outsider Dorothy’s Dreams. Headline Numbers was last in a field of five where Call Another Play, Life Talk and Just Music were scratched.
The victory was the fifth from nine starts for Tarifa, a daughter of Bernardini trained by Brad Cox for owner/breeder Godolphin Racing. It was Tarifa’s first victory since she won the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March.
In her most recent start, Tarifa finished third behind Thorpedo Anna and Gun Song, who were a neck apart in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion at Parx Racing. That day, Prat had Tarifa fourth early on, while Gun Song was pressing the pace from second.
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On Saturday, Prat wanted to flip the script, so he sent Tarifa to the front leaving the gate. She actually came out a step and lost a shoe when presumably Pretty Ana, to her outside, clipped it off.
Regardless, Tarifa got to the lead through a half-mile in 48.86 seconds and six furlongs 1:13.49. A confident John Velazquez, aboard Gun Song, took a peak behind at the quarter pole, wanting to see who was coming because he figured he had Tarifa.
Gun Song put a head in front in midstretch, but Tarifa battled back and prevailed by a short head at the wire.
“I wanted to try and change things around get her into the race,” Prat, who won his 69th stakes, 48th graded, of the year, told NYRA publicity. “She jumped very well, and I don’t know, I think I clipped somebody’s heel on the outside so I lost a bit of momentum. She was still fast enough to make the lead. After that, I thought she was traveling well. Top of the lane, it looked like I’m beaten and she showed some good fight.”
Tarifa (88 Beyer Speed Figure) covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.78 and returned $6.10 as the second choice.
Velazquez admitted afterward to being very confident turning for home.
“[Prat] was riding that horse, riding that horse so I thought “I think I’ve got them,’ “ he said. “Let me make sure to wait to let her out a little bit. Then when I got after she, she gave me a good bid, and that was it.”
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